Analects of Confucius Book 11: new English translation

Read this new English translation of the Analects of Confucius Book 11 to learn more about the teachings of China’s most famous philosopher.

Chapter 1
子曰：「先進於禮樂，野人也；後進於禮樂，君子也。如用之，則吾從先進。」
Confucius said: “Those who learn ritual and music before taking up an official position are the common people; those who learn ritual and music after taking up an official position are the nobility. If I were to employ them, I would employ the former.”

Chapter 2
子曰：「從我於陳蔡者，皆不及門也。」
Confucius said: “None those who accompanied me in Chen and Cai are still with me.”

Chapter 7
季康子問：「弟子孰為好學？」孔子對曰：「有顏回者好學，不幸短命死矣！今也則亡。」
Ji Kangzi asked: “Which of your followers love learning?” Confucius replied: “There was Yan Hui who loved learning. Sadly, his life was cut short and he died. Now there’s nobody.”

Chapter 8
顏淵死，顏路請子之車以為之 。子曰：「才不才，亦各言其子也。鯉也死，有棺而無 ；吾不徒行，以為之 ，以吾從大夫之後，不可徒行也。」
When Yan Hui died, his father Yan Lu asked Confucius if he could sell his carriage so that he could pay for an outer coffin for his son. Confucius said: “Talented or not, a son is a son. When my son Li died, he was buried in an inner coffin but there was no outer coffin. I wouldn’t go on foot in order to give him one because it wasn’t proper for me as a former minister to go on foot.”

Chapter 10
顏淵死，子哭之慟。從者曰：「子慟矣！」曰：「有慟乎！非夫人之為慟而誰為！」
When Yan Hui died, Confucius wailed bitterly with grief. His followers said: “Master, such grief is excessive.” Confucius said: “Is it excessive? If I don’t grieve for this man, who else should I grieve for?”

Chapter 11
顏淵死，門人欲厚葬之，子曰：「不可。」門人厚葬之。子曰：「回也，視予猶父也，予不得視猶子也。非我也，夫二三子也。」
When Yan Hui died, his fellow followers wanted to give him a grand burial. Confucius said: “This isn’t right.” When the followers gave him a grand burial, Confucius said: “Yan Hui treated me like a father, but I was not given the chance to treat him like a son. This is not my fault, but yours, my friends.”

Chapter 12
季路問事鬼神。子曰：「未能事人，焉能事鬼？」「敢問死？」曰：「未知生，焉知死？」
Zilu asked how to serve the spirits and gods. Confucius said: “If you’re not yet able to serve other people, how are you able to serve the spirits?” Zilu said: “May I ask about death?” Confucius said: “If you don’t understand life yet, how can you understand death?”

Chapter 13
閔子侍側，誾誾如也；子路，行行如也；冉有、子貢，侃侃如也。子樂。若由也，不得其死然。
When at Confucius’s side, Min Ziqian was straightforward but respectful; Zilu was bold and intense; Ran Qiu and Zigong were frank but amiable. Confucius was happy but said: “A man like Zilu won’t die a natural death.”

Chapter 14
魯人為長府。閔子騫曰：「仍舊貫，如之何？何必改作！」子曰：「夫人不言，言必有中。」
The leadership of Lu was planning to demolish the Long Treasury and rebuild it. Min Ziqian said: “Why not just repair the old structure? Why build a new one?” Confucius said: “This man rarely speaks, but when he does he hits the mark.”

Chapter 15
子曰：「由之瑟，奚為於丘之門？」門人不敬子路。子曰：「由也升堂矣！未入於室也！」
Confucius said: “What is Zilu doing playing his zither inside my gate?” His other followers ceased to treat Zilu with respect. Confucius said: “Zilu may not have entered the inner chamber yet, but he has at least ascended to the hall.”

Chapter 17
季氏富於周公，而求也為之聚斂而附益之。子曰：「非吾徒也，小子鳴鼓而攻之可也！」
The head of the Ji Family was wealthier than the Duke of Zhou ever was, but Ran Qiu still assisted him with the collection of taxes to further increase his wealth. Confucius said: “He’s no longer my follower. You may beat the drum and attack him, my young friends.”

Chapter 19
子曰：「回也其庶乎！屢空，賜不受命，而貨殖焉；億則屢中。」
Confucius said: “Yan Hui has just about achieved perfection, but he lives in constant poverty. Zigong is never satisfied with his lot and engages in trading and speculation. He frequently succeeds in his business ventures.”

Chapter 20
子張問善人之道。子曰：「不踐跡，亦不入於室。」
Zizhang asked how to become a perfect person. Confucius said: “If you don’t follow the path others have trodden, you can’t enter the inner chamber.”

Chapter 21
子曰：「論篤是與，君子者乎？色莊者乎？」
Confucius said: “If someone seems serious and sincere in their opinions, does it mean that they’re a leader or that they’re only pretending to be one?”

Chapter 22
子路問：「聞斯行諸？」子曰：「有父兄在，如之何其聞斯行之！」冉有問：「聞斯行諸？」子曰：「聞斯行之！」公西華曰：「由也問『聞斯行諸？』，子曰：『有父兄在』；求也問，『聞斯行諸？』子曰：『聞斯行之』。赤也惑，敢問？」子曰：「求也退，故進之；由也兼人，故退之。」
Zilu asked: “When I learn something new, should I put it into practice immediately?” Confucius said: “Your father and your elder brother are still alive. How could you put it into practice immediately?” Ran Qiu said: “When I learn something new, should I put it into practice immediately?” Confucius said: “Put it into practice immediately.” Gongxi Chi said: “When Zilu asked whether or not he should put into practice something new that he’s learned, you told him that his father and elder brother are still alive. But when Ran Qiu asked the very same question, you told him to put it into practice immediately. I’m confused. May I ask for an explanation?” Confucius said: “Ran Qiu holds himself back, so I push him forward; Zilu has enough energy for two, so I hold him back.”

Chapter 23
子畏於匡，顏淵後。子曰：「吾以女為死矣！」曰：「子在，回何敢死！」
While Confucius was held captive in Kuang, Yan Hui had fallen behind. When they were finally reunited, Confucius said: “I thought you were dead.” Yan Hui said: “While you’re alive, how would I dare to die?”

Chapter 24
季子然問：「仲由、冉求，可謂大臣與？」子曰：「吾以子為異之問，曾由與求之問。所謂大臣者，以道事君，不可則止；今由與求也，可謂具臣矣。」曰：「然則從之者與？」子曰：「弒父與君，亦不從也。」
Ji Ziran asked: “Would you say that Zilu and Ran Qiu are great ministers?” Confucius said: “I thought you were going to ask about somebody else; I never expected that you would ask about Zilu and Ran Qiu. A really great minister serves his lord by following the way and resigns if there is no possibility of doing so. As for Zilu and Ran Qiu, they might just about be qualified for an unfilled vacancy.” Ji Ziran said: “Do you mean that they can be counted on to follow orders?” Confucius said: “They wouldn’t go quite so far as murdering their father or their lord.”

Chapter 25
子路使子羔為費宰。子曰：「賊夫人之子！」子路曰：「有民人焉，有社稷焉，何必讀書，然後為學？」子曰：「是故惡夫佞者。」
Zilu appointed Zigao as governor of Bi. Confucius said: “You’re harming another man’s son.” Zilu said: “There are people there for him to learn from as well as the altars of the spirits of the land and grain where he can learn how to perform ritual ceremonies. Why should learning consist only of reading books?” Confucius said: “It’s this kind of remark that makes me hate people with a smooth tongue.”

Chapter 26
子路、曾皙、冉有、公西華侍坐。子曰：「以吾一日長乎爾，毋吾以也。居則曰：「不吾知也！」如或知爾，則何以哉？」子路率爾而對曰：「千乘之國，攝乎大國之間，加之以師旅，因之以饑饉，由也為之，比及三年，可使有勇，且知方也。」夫子哂之。「求，爾何如？」對曰：「方六七十，如五六十，求也為之，比及三年，可使足民；如其禮樂，以俟君子。」「赤，爾何如？」對曰：「非曰能之，願學焉！宗廟之事，如會同，端章甫，願為小相焉。」「點，爾何如？」鼓瑟希，鏗爾，舍瑟而作。對曰：「異乎三子者之撰。」子曰：「何傷乎？亦各言其志也。」曰：「莫春者，春服既成；冠者五六人，童子六七人，浴乎沂，風乎舞雩，詠而歸。」夫子喟然嘆曰：「吾與點也！」三子者出，曾皙後。曾皙曰：「夫三子者之言何如？」子曰：「亦各言其志也已矣！」曰：「夫子何哂由也？」曰：「為國以禮，其言不讓，是故哂之。」「唯求則非邦也與？」「安見方六七十，如五六十，而非邦也者。」「唯赤，非邦也與？」「宗廟會同，非諸侯而何？赤也為之小，孰能為之大！」
Zilu, Zeng Dian, Ran Qiu, and Gongxi Chi were sitting with Confucius. Confucius said: “Forget for a moment that I’m your elder. You often say: ‘Nobody recognizes our talents.’ But if you were given the opportunity, what would you wish to do?”

Zilu eagerly replied first: “Give me a middle-sized state wedged between powerful neighbors that is under attack from invading armies and gripped by drought and famine. If I were to govern it, within three years I would give its people courage and set them in the right direction.”

Confucius smiled at him: “Ran Qiu, what about you?”

Ran Qiu replied: “If I was allowed to run a territory of sixty or seventy or, say, fifty to sixty li, within three years I would secure the prosperity of its people. As for ritual and music, they would have to wait for a true leader to take over.”

“Gongxi Chi, what about you?”

“I’m not saying that I would be able to do this, but I would like to try: in the ceremonies at the Grand Ancestral Temple, such as a diplomatic conference, wearing a ceremonial cap and robes, I would like to act as a junior official.”

“And what about you, Zeng Dian?” Zeng Dian plucked one final chord of the zither he’d been playing and put it down by his side. He replied: “My wish is very different than those of my three companions.”

Confucius said: “What harm is there in that? After all, each one is simply speaking from his heart.”

Zeng Dian said: “In late spring, after all the spring clothes have been made, I would like to go out together with five or six companions and six or seven children to bathe in the Yi River, enjoy the breeze on the Rain Dance Terrace, and then return home singing.”

Confucius let out a wistful sigh and said: “I’m with Dian!”

After the other three followers had left, Zeng Dian stayed behind and said: “What did you think of their wishes?” Confucius said: “Each was indeed speaking from his heart.”

Zeng Dian asked: “Why did you smile at Zilu?” Confucius said: “You should govern a state according to ritual, but his words showed no such restraint. That’s why I smiled.”

“But wasn’t Ran Qiu also talking about governing a state?” “Of course. Have you ever seen ‘a territory of sixty to seventy, or fifty to sixty li?’”

“And Gongxi Chi? Wasn’t he also talking about running a state as well?” “A diplomatic conference in the Grand Ancestral Temple! What could this be but an affair of state? And if Gongxi Chi were there merely to act as a junior official, who could possibly be qualified to act as the senior one?”